Talking To the Moon
by WinchesterAngel3389
Summary: REBOOT: Cassidy Fernandez, an omega, finds herself smack dab in the middle of a war between the hunting Argents and alpha werewolf Derek Hale. She joins his pack and helps out with his new betas, growing close to him and beta Isaac in the process. Will these budding relationships be too distracting as the pack deals with hunters and a monster running around? (Spoilers for Season 2)
1. Welcome To Beacon Hills

_Welcome to Beacon Hills!_

A small yawn escaped Cassidy Fernandez as she drove past the sign. Maybe this would be a good place to stop and spend the night.

Wait, wait...Beacon Hills...why did this place sound so familiar?

With that thought in the back of her mind, the young werewolf headed to the nearest motel and checked in for the night. Finally, a bed to sleep in after spending her nights in her car. With a content smile on her face, Cassidy closed her eyes to get some sleep.

A growl and the sound of a lamp breaking next door caused her to open her eyes again.

"_Find the alpha...find the alpha._" A low voice mumbled to himself.

Beacon Hills...now it made sense why it sounded familiar. There was word that there was a new alpha in town: Derek Hale. With that thought in mind, Cassidy made a mental note to leave as soon as possible in the morning. She didn't think an alpha would take too well to her being in town.

An angry yell from next door snapped Cassidy out of her thoughts. It took a moment before her heightened sense of smell picked up something coppery; blood. Her gaze immediately fell on the wall adjoining her room to the mysterious, what she could only assume, werewolf's.

Did this werewolf hurt someone? In her right mind, Cassidy couldn't let that go. She needed to do something about it in case he was planning on hurting anyone else.

A sigh escaped her as she headed to her door. This was probably stupid and most likely not gonna end well given the fact that he's currently calling himself stupid.

"Yeah...this is the worst idea you've ever had, Cass." Cassidy mumbled to herself before opening the door.

Almost as if the mysterious werewolf next door knew, he too opened his door and left his room. Cassidy waited for him to walk on before following him, careful not to attract attention to herself. Maybe she'll be able to learn more if she keeps track of him.

She followed him into the woods and saw him pause, looking out to where Cassidy noticed police lights flashing from her distance. Tuning in her hearing, she overheard someone talking about being hit by something they couldn't really comprehend.

That was all she could hear before the werewolf took off running. Cassidy immediately followed, falling behind because he was shockingly faster than she could've expected. She was able to hear leaves rustling, growling and thuds as she caught the scent of another person: another werewolf.

"You're not Lydia." The newly joined wolf said before the wolf she was tracking attacked.

Stopping in the distance, she watched as the two wolves fought deciding to bide her time. She wasn't sure what she was getting into and it would be best to watch for a moment. Once the younger of the two werewolves had gotten the best of the mysterious wolf, the mysterious one had taken off running once more.

"Wait!" The young werewolf called out before chasing him.

Cassidy sighed to herself before following them both. To be honest, she's always hated running.

Following them down stream, she stopped when she heard the mysterious wolf hit a trip wire. Pausing, Cassidy listened out for anyone else and sure enough, not too far from here, she heard footsteps...numerous. They had to belong to the hunters that left the trip wire.

Cassidy ran towards the younger werewolf who was looking up at the mysterious werewolf, maybe seeking a way to help him. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him away.

"Wait, no, I can help him!" The young werewolf protested as he tried to pull away.

"There's no time!" Cassidy told him. "They're coming!"

Before the two could continue to struggle, _another_ wolf came and threw the young one to the ground. Cassidy was shocked for a moment because she did not even hear him coming. She watched as the newly joined wolf began dragging off the one Cassidy was trying to take with her. Cassidy checked her surroundings as the three hid behind a nearby tree.

"What are you doing, I can help him." The younger wolf continued to insist, fighting against the grip holding him in place.

"They're already here." The newcomer replied as he held him back.

"I can help him."

"Quiet!"

The younger wolf settled down as a group of 5 hunters came into their eyesight. They surrounded the mysterious wolf, watching him as he struggled and kicked his leg as he hung from the tree by his wrists. Cassidy flinched as she watched one of the younger looking of the hunters shock the wolf, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Who are you?" The hunter asked, getting no reply. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing. Nothing, I swear." The mysterious wolf replied.

"You're not from here, are you?" The wolf didn't reply once more as the older of the two hunters walked up. "Are you?!"

"No. No, I came-I came looking for the Alpha. I heard he was here. That's all. Look, I didn't do anything. I didn't hurt anyone. No one living. He wasn't alive in the ambulance. He wasn't, I swear."

"Gentlemen, take a look at a rare sight. You wanna tell them what we've caught?" The older hunter said to his group before turning to the one standing at his side.

"An omega." The younger one replied.

"The lone wolf. Possibly kicked out of his own pack. Or the survivor of a pack that was hunted down. Maybe even murdered. And possibly alone by his own choice. Certainly not a wise choice." The older hunter walked away for a moment but came back with a sword in his hand. "Because, as I am about to demonstrate, an omega rarely survives on his own."

The three werewolves watched as the hunter cut the omega in half with his sword. Cassidy had to look away and put a hand over her mouth. This is just...this is brutal. According to the omega, he didn't hurt anyone alive but they killed him anyway. That-that's just not right. They couldn't do this.

"Look. Look." The newcomer scolded the werewolf in his arms as he looked away. "Look at them. You see what they do? This is why you need me. Why we need each other. The only way to fight them is together."

"What are they doing?" The younger wolf asked.

"Declaring war."

Of course...Cassidy just wanted to stop in town for a power nap and she stumbled into the beginnings of a war. Not even 30 minutes in town. This has to be some kind of record.

"We have a code." The younger of the two hunters said to the older.

"Not when they murder my daughter." The older told him as he stabbed the sword into the ground. "No code. Not anymore. From now on these things are just bodies waiting to be cut in half. Are you listening? Because I don't care if they're wounded and weak. Or seemingly harmless; begging for their life with the promise that they will never, ever hurt anyone. Or some desperate, lost soul with no idea what they're getting into. We find them. We kill them. We kill them all."

Who the hell was this guy and who was his daughter?

Cassidy couldn't listen to any more of this. She tapped the newcomer's shoulder and motioned for him to follow her so they could get away safely. The three kept walking until they were a safe distance away from the hunting party.

"You okay?" Cassidy asked the young werewolf, as it seemed he was trying to process what happened.

"Y-Yeah. I'm okay." He replied after a moment.

"Who are you?" The newcomer asked, his eyes glowing red.

"You're Derek Hale…" Cassidy mumbled to herself. She was hoping to avoid running into the alpha.

"Doesn't answer my question." Derek continued.

"Cassidy." She replied, her own eyes glowing their alpha red color.

2 alphas in the same area? That could definitely cause trouble and possibly show some form of disrespect to a new alpha to show up out of the blue for god knows what reason. Maybe in a way it was seen as a challenge for another alpha to show up on one's home turf. It was a weird unspoken code in their kind.

"You're an alpha?" The younger wolf asked with a look of surprise in his eyes.

"Yeah. Long story."

"Where's your pack?" Derek asked.

"Don't have one."

Nerves began to crawl underneath Cassidy's skin as Derek smirked at her. Oh god, please don't tell her that Derek was gonna take this as some kind of challenge and try to fight her. She really didn't wanna fight anyone. Hell, she's only been an alpha for 4 months!

"Go home Scott." Derek told the young beta. "We'll continue this tomorrow."

Scott looked between Cassidy and Derek as they stared each other down. He noticed Cassidy's stare was more weary than Derek's.

"You gonna be okay?" Scott asked Cassidy.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Cassidy replied, breaking her stare on Derek to look at Scott, hoping to insure him. "Wish we could've met under different circumstances."

"Me too." Scott turned to leave when Cassidy called out to him. "Yeah?"

"Be careful."

Cassidy watched as Scott nodded and left her alone with Derek.

"Look, I'm just in town for the night. I'll be gone by the morning." Cassidy said to Derek, hoping to reason with him early.

"Why don't you have a pack?" Derek asked, completely ignoring what she said.

"I don't want one yet. I haven't been an alpha long."

Derek nodded as he soaked in her words.

"Are you alone? Like, you don't belong to a pack?"

"Yes. I mean, I'm alone...technically I'm an omega."

"I know you saw what happened back there."

"How could I miss it?" Ohhhhh Cassidy. Not so sure now's the time to get a little mouthy.

"I'm gonna need all the help I can get with these hunters around here looking to kill for no reason."

"But that guy...who was his daughter?"

"You don't know who that was?"

"No."

"That was Gerard Argent and his son Chris. His daughter was Kate." Derek explained, folding his arms.

"Wait-Kate Argent is dead?" Cassidy asked, shock showing on her face.

"Yeah...you knew her?"

"Yeah. She killed-" Cassidy paused, cutting herself off for a moment. "-A lot of good people."

"Not any more. Any way, I need a pack. And I'd like to ask you if you'd like to be a part of that pack."

"Wouldn't two alphas cause a power struggle?"

"No. Two alphas means I have a second in command, if you want it. We run it together but everything goes through me and I make all final decisions. Deal?"

Cassidy watched Derek for a moment. She definitely did not expect an offer to join his pack. All she expected was a fight or an argument...something other than this. To be honest, she was tired of driving from city to city in search of somewhere to belong. Maybe this is where she could belong: here in Beacon Hills with Derek and the pack...fighting the hunters for the injustice of unnecessarily killing wolves because his daughter was dead. Plus, maybe being in a pack would be what's best for her given this moment in time. Strength in numbers, especially with people like Gerard Argent out there.

"I'm in." Cassidy agreed.

* * *

"Charming." Cassidy said as Derek led her into an abandoned subway station.

"Only place I can stay hidden for now." Derek replied with a shrug.

"Better than nothing. I'll give you that."

The two were interrupted by footsteps coming down the stairs and a flashlight being shined around. The light moved before landing on Derek, pausing. Cassidy was able to hear this guy's heartbeat jump as he was startled by Derek's appearance.

"I-I want the bite, Derek." The tall, blonde boy said.

"You sure, Isaac?" Derek replied, stepping towards him. "Even after everything we talked about?"

"Yes."

Cassidy nodded when she noticed his voice getting stronger when he replied. He sounded like he definitely wanted this and if Derek was willing to give him the bite, how could she stop either of them?

Isaac lifted his shirt and waited nervously as Derek half shifted. A cry of pain echoed through the building as Derek bit into Isaac's side, starting the process of turning him. Derek pulled back and let his teeth and eyes return to their normal state.

"Cassidy, there's a first aid kit in the car on one of the seats. Grab it for me?" Derek asked Cassidy, who went to grab what he asked for, as he checked the bite area to make sure his body didn't have an immediate negative reaction.

Cassidy came back with the kit and opened it. Derek watched as she took it upon herself to clean up the wound and bandage it.

"You should start healing on your own in at least a few hours so just keep this on until then." Cassidy told Isaac as she taped the gauze down. "It'll keep it clean."

Hmm, maybe having her around was a good idea already. It seemed she had a motherly instinct and Derek knew he was a bit rough around the edges so they could balance each other out. This-this could work.

This could work better than he expected.


	2. Shape Shifted

"Did you just now decide to build a pack? After all the hunter business started, I mean?" Cassidy asked, sitting across from Derek on the train.

"I haven't been an alpha long either." Derek replied with a small shrug. "The hunters were more re-"

"Derek? Derek!" A voice called out as footsteps hurried down the stairs at the entrance of the building.

Derek and Cassidy exchanged a confused look before getting up and walking outside the train, as Isaac descended down the rest of the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Derek asked, concern lacing his tone.

"My dad...I think he's dead." Isaac told him, his eyebrows furrowed with a mixture of worry and confusion.

"What did you do?"

"That's the thing. It wasn't me."

Derek looked back at Cassidy, confused by the vague statement.

"Then who was it?"

"I-I don't know, I just saw-" Isaac began to stutter as he tried to find the words to say.

"Isaac?" Cassidy called out to him, walking over to him and gently placing her hands on his arm. "Take a deep breath for a second. It's okay." She calmly added before leading him towards the train. "Start from the beginning."

* * *

Cassidy offered the woman at the front desk her thanks before walking out of the office. She had just enrolled herself into the high school as a junior. She figured if she were to stick around that she might as well go back to school...but also to keep an eye on Isaac and Scott McCall.

Derek explained that he wanted to see if there was any way to convince Scott to join his pack and maybe Cassidy could be his way in. Maybe she could convince him to join them and fight the Argents before they could kill them all.

Cassidy's first official day of school started tomorrow and as it was the end of the day, she decided to give herself a tour and figure out where her classes were. Her last stop was the field outside, remembering that Isaac had lacrosse practice. That would be the best time to keep an eye on him, especially with his first full moon coming up.

She took a seat on the bleachers when she noticed Scott looking her way. Cassidy offered him a small smile and a wave, which he returned, confusion etched all over his face. Right after, her glance fell on Derek, who was standing by, watching in the woods.

"Why Derek, I'm starting to think you may not trust me to have this handled." Cassidy mumbled, knowing he would be using his hearing to listen out for everything.

"It's not about trust." He told her from his spot in the woods. "Isaac could be a lot to handle if he loses control. You should know that."

"You look like a creeper." Cassidy lightly rolled her eyes as she watched Scott running from his spot at the goal, taking down players one by one. And was he...sniffing them?

"It's Armani." The player beneath Scott told him.

"Huh?" She heard Scott ask.

"My aftershave. Armani."

"Oh. It's nice."

Cassidy laughed to herself as Coach blew the whistle. It was then when she heard it. Heavy breathing mixed with a growl. Isaac.

"Isaac?" Cassidy quietly called out. "If you can hear me, adjust your helmet." Sure enough, he adjusted his helmet. "Hold it together. Deep breaths. You're starting to draw attention." She told him, noticing Scott's friend's eyes on him.

As the guy in front of Isaac walked away, Scott, standing at the goal, and Isaac stared each other down as they waited for Coach Finstock to blow the whistle. After a tense few moments, the whistle blew and Isaac got the ball, running towards the goal.

Scott left the goal and ran at Isaac. They collided, both of them landing on their hands and knees facing each other.

The whistle blew just as some police officers walked onto the field. Cassidy looked over to Derek, who in turn nodded, acknowledging their silent conversation.

"Don't tell them." Isaac told Scott. "Please don't tell them."

Cassidy walked down the bleachers as she watched Isaac walked with the police officers, talking with them. Scott looked over towards her, his mind running with questions. Was she working with Derek now? How does she know him other than from the other night? Did she turn Isaac?

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Cassidy asked Derek from the passenger seat of his car. "From what you've told me, Scott might not wanna help us out. Plus, Isaac is our problem."

"Trust me. He will." Derek said as he pulled the car to a stop, watching as the cops drove away with Isaac.

Derek pulled up to the front of the school where Scott was about ready to walk back inside, turning when he heard the tires squeal to a stop.

"Get in." Derek said to Scott.

"Are you serious?" Scott asked him angrily. "You did that. That's your fault."

"I know that. Now get in the car and help us."

"No, I've got a better idea. I'm gonna call a lawyer. Because a lawyer might actually have a chance at getting him out before the moon goes up."

"Not when they do a real search of the house."

"What do you mean?"

"Whatever Jackson said to the cops...what's in the house is worse. A lot worse."

Scott looked at Cassidy, who hadn't said a word the entire time.

"How much worse?" He asked her.

"Worse enough to find a motive." Cassidy told him.

Scott sighed as Cassidy got out of the car, moving the seat so she could get in the back.

"I'm sorry Scott, I didn't want to drag you into this." She said before getting into the back seat.

* * *

To cast little or no suspicion, Derek, Cassidy and Scott waited until nightfall to search Isaac's house. With a flashlight in Scott's hand, they entered through the front door.

"If Isaac didn't kill his father, who did?" Scott asked.

"We don't know yet." Cassidy replied.

"Then how do you know he's telling the truth?"

"Because I trust my senses. And it's a combination of them. Not just your sense of smell."

Scott stopped walking, briefly looking at Derek for a moment, slightly embarrassed.

"You saw the lacrosse thing today."

"Yeah."

"Did it look that bad?"

""Yeah." Derek put his hand on Scott's shoulder, leading him forward.

Cassidy hid a smile as she followed the two wolves. She glanced around the house, seeing a picture of little Isaac and whom she could assume was a brother and his mom hanging on one of the walls.

How could things have gotten so bad for Isaac? What did he do to deserve what his dad had been doing to him?

"You wanna learn? Let's start now." Derek said, opening the door to the basement and breaking Cassidy out of her thoughts.

"What's down there?" Scott asked, slowly walking down the steps.

"Motive."

Derek motioned for Cassidy to go first before he followed them down.

"And what am I looking for?"

"Follow your senses."

Cassidy could sense it almost immediately. She wrapped her arms around herself as she felt the remnants of what went on down here: the anger, rage...fear, hopelessness, despair.

"What happened down here?" Scott asked, feeling uneasy.

"The kind of thing that leaves an impression."

Cassidy stopped the moment she saw the freezer with the lock on it. She remembered what Isaac told her and Derek about it. Tears brimmed her eyes as the feeling inside the basement was at its strongest over there. It seems Scott noticed she stopped moving because he turned back to look at her.

"You okay?" He asked Cassidy, concerned.

Cassidy nodded her head, sniffling as she followed him once more, both teenagers stopping at the freezer. Scott held the lock for a moment before Derek startled them both by turning on the flashlight.

"Open it." Derek told Scott.

Instinctively, Cassidy reached out for Derek's arm as she was overwhelmed with everything. Derek put the flashlight in his other hand and took Cassidy's hand, squeezing it comfortingly. He knew this would be rough on her. Isaac wasn't the only one to have suffered abuse.

Scott opened the freezer, his breathing quickening with anxiety. Cassidy squeezed Derek's hand as she held back tears. How could his father lock Isaac in a small freezer, let alone lock him in anything? The scratch marks inside were everywhere, covering the entire interior of the freezer.

"This is why he said yes to you." Scott stated, understanding now why Isaac decided to be turned.

"Everyone wants power."

"If we help you, then you have to stop. You can't just go around turning people into werewolves."

"I can if they're willing."

""Did you tell Isaac about the Argents? About being hunted?"

"Yes and he still asked."

"Then he's an idiot."

"And you're the idiot dating Argent's daughter."

"Wait, you're dating an Argent? Are you serious?" Cassidy asked Scott dumbfoundly as Scott looked at Derek in surprise.

"Yeah. I know your little secret." Derek continued. "And if I know, how long do you think it's gonna take for them to find out? You saw what happens to an omega. With us, you learn how to use all of your senses. With us, you learn control." Derek referred to himself and Cassidy, grabbing Scott's hand which was starting to grow out its claws. "Even on a full moon."

Scott pulled his arm out of Derek's grasp, looking at him.

"If I'm with you guys, I lose her." Scott stated.

"You might lose her anyway." Cassidy chimed in quietly as Derek closed the freezer door.

Cassidy's hand still in Derek's, they began to walk away.

"You okay?" Derek asked her quietly.

"Yeah." She replied in a similar tone.

"Wait." Scott called to the two alphas. Cassidy let go of Derek's hand as they turned to face him. "I'm not part of your pack. But I want him out. He's my responsibility too."

"Why? Because he's one of us?" Derek questioned.

"Because he's innocent."

That sounded good enough for Derek. The three wolves headed upstairs as Scott pulled out his phone, calling his friend, Stiles.

* * *

"So you must be the lady wolf Scott told me about." Stiles said as he drove Cassidy and Derek to the police station.

"That'd be me." Cassidy replied. "I'm Cassidy."

"Stiles."

Stiles reached back, offering Cassidy a handshake which she happily took.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too. So you're an alpha too, huh?"

"Yeah. It's a long story."

Stiles seemed to have taken notice that she was trying to blow off telling the story which he decided to let go. He wouldn't want to go and tell a stranger things about his past too.

"Can we just focus on the mission, please? We can chit chat later." Derek said, interrupting the two.

"You know, we can do that while we drive there, Derek. It's called multi-tasking."

Derek glared at Cassidy, causing her to put her hands up in defeat and rest against the seat. The short ride was silent, Stiles only breaking the silence when he parked in the parking lot of the police station.

"Okay, now the keys to every cell are in a password protected lockbox in my father's office. The problem is getting past the front desk." Stiles briefed Derek and Cassidy.

"I'll distract her." Derek went to get out of the jeep only to be stopped by Stiles grabbing his shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you? You're not going in there." Derek looked between Stiles and Stiles' hand on his shoulder to hint at him to remove his hand. "I'm taking my hand off."

Cassidy smiled at their back and forth.

"I was exonerated."

"You're still a person of interest."

"An innocent person."

"An-you? Yeah, right!" Stiles stated sarcastically, earning a shrug from Derek. "Okay, fine. What's your plan?" He relented.

"To distract her." Derek said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Uh huh. How? By punching her in the face? Unh." Stiles made a face, causing Cassidy to laugh.

"You're funny." Cassidy told Stiles.

Derek gave both teenagers a look as he faked a laugh. "By talking to her."

"Okay, all right. Give me a sample. What are you gonna open with?" Derek opened his mouth, saying nothing and looking back at him. He didn't need to prove anything to Stiles. "Dead silence. That should work beautifully. Any other ideas?"

"I'm thinking about punching you in the face."

Stiles looked at Derek, offended.

"Just go. Get out."

'Finally.' Derek thought to himself as he got out of the jeep.

"So rude." Cassidy said as she and Stiles followed him.

Derek walked inside, waiting at the desk, putting on his best, charming smile as the deputy came out from the back. Stiles and Cassidy peaked their heads in, waiting for their chance to go in undetected.

"Good evening, how can I help-" The deputy greeted, pausing briefly when Derek smiled at her. "-you?"

""Hi." Derek said.

""Hi." She replied, clearly enamored with him.

Stiles rolled his eyes, motioning for Cassidy to follow him as the deputy was distracted.

"I had a question. Um, sorry I'm a little-a little thrown. I wasn't really expecting someone-"

"Like me?"

Cassidy stopped and looked over for a moment. "Oh, honey. Flirt better." She whispered before Stiles gently tugged her arm to follow him.

"Oh, I was gonna say 'so incredibly beautiful' but, yeah, I guess that'd be the same thing." Derek continued.

Stiles quickly navigated the way to his dad's office. As he went to the lockbox, Cassidy kept lookout.

"They're not here." Stiles said.

"What?" Cassidy asked, walking over to him.

"Just like I said, they're not here."

As if on cue, the two heard the sound of keys jingling from down the hall.

"Oh no…stay here. It's easier to explain me wandering around than both of us." Stiles didn't even bother to look her way as he walked out of the door before she could get a word out.

With a sigh, Cassidy sat at Sheriff Stilinski's desk, looking at the pictures he had of his family. She smiled as she picked up one of little Stiles and what she could safely assume was his mother.

Her peaceful moment was short lived when the fire alarm went off. She put the picture back where she found it before listening out for Stiles. She was able to pinpoint his scent and followed it. By the time she found him, he was against the wall, watching as Isaac was fighting off a hunter. Cassidy ran over to Stiles and checked him.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked him, her hand on his shoulder as she looked for any kind of wound.

"Fine." Stiles replied, his eyes never leaving Isaac as he knocked out the hunter.

Derek came in and stomped on the glass syringe that fell from the hunter's hand, catching Isaac's wolf's attention. Isaac then looked over to Stiles and Cassidy on the other side of the room. Derek completely forgotten, Isaac made a move towards them. Cassidy put herself in front of Stiles just in case but Derek stepping in front of both of them, roaring at the young beta.

Isaac's wolf, scared, shrunk back to the wall, hiding his face. When Isaac looked back at them, he was shifted back to his normal self.

"How did you do that?" Stiles asked in shock.

"I'm the Alpha." Derek replied.

Cassidy helped Stiles to his feet before going over to Isaac.

"Hey, it's just me." She said gently as he flinched when she touched him. "I'm not gonna hurt you. But we have to get you out of here, okay?"

It was like Isaac snapped out of it and nodded, allowing himself to be helped up.

"Go. I'll take care of this." Stiles told the wolves, running a hand over his head.

"Are you sure?" Cassidy asked as Derek led Isaac away.

"No. But I'll figure it out."

"Thanks Stiles."

Stiles nodded as Cassidy followed Derek and Isaac out of the building.

* * *

With a mug in hand, Cassidy walked over to Isaac, who was staring out the window, lost in his thoughts.

"Hey. Turns out Derek had a hot plate so I thought maybe you'd like some tea." Cassidy offered the beta.

Isaac nodded and accepted the mug.

"Thanks." He replied quietly.

"You doing okay? It was, uh, a rough night."

"Yeah. I'm okay."

"Good."

"Um...you all went to my house, didn't you? You saw everything?"

"Yeah." Isaac sighed before taking a sip of his tea. "If it means anything, I'm sorry what you had to go through. You didn't deserve that."

Isaac slightly nodded in acknowledgement.

"I used to think that would be the rest of my life. The freezer. Like, I don't know, I probably would've died in there at some point."

Cassidy reached over and put a hand over his.

"I'm glad you didn't."

Isaac looked up from his mug to Cassidy.

"Me too."

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a bit.

"My dad used to lock me in this little closet." Cassidy decided to share with Isaac. She could relate to him to a degree and maybe if he knew that, he wouldn't feel so alone. "It was this small little coat closet. The only light I could get in there was from the crack at the bottom of the door. He used to lock me in there because he said I needed to build character or claim it was to keep him from hitting me." She bit her lip as she remembered it. "But he would forget I was there sometimes for days at a time. I thought it was better me than my little brother. Although, he seemed to dote on my little brother." She lightly smiled as she remembered her younger sibling.

Part of Isaac wanted to know what happened to her little brother. Where was he? Why wasn't he here with her? But he didn't want to push it. He thought since she opened up about this, maybe another time, she would divulge more about her past. At least, he hoped so since she and Derek knew all there was to know.

"Point is, it does get better." Cassidy continued, looking Isaac in the eyes. "Dealing with the trauma and pain from the memories...it's not easy but you'll get there. I'm still working on it, to be honest."

Cassidy got up from her seat, deciding to leave it there and give Isaac some time to mull over what she said.

"If you ever want to talk, I'm here for you."

"Thank you." Isaac said, watching as the alpha walked away

Cassidy walked around the set of abandoned buildings surrounding theirs. While she played it calm and chill, she felt anything but. Being in that basement tonight...it hurt her. It hurt her to know that Isaac had to endure something so horrific.

Why Isaac? He has been nothing but kind and respectful since they met. Why would his father do that to him? What was so wrong with him that he had to take it out on his son?

Hell, what was so wrong with her and her father that he did what he did to her? What did people like herself and Isaac do to deserve that?

Her eyes fell on a 2 by 4 nearby and she picked it up. Staring at it for a moment, she swung it, breaking one of the windows on the abandoned building she stood in front of. She kept swinging at everything in sight: more windows, pallets, metal drums; until the wood broke in her hands. She threw the wood down at her feet, trying to catch her breath as tears brimmed her eyes.

"There are less destructive ways to deal with your anger, you know." Derek said, walking over to her with his hands in his pockets.

"Not now, Derek." Cassidy sighed, quickly wiping at her eyes.

"Seems like you're still in the anger phase of the five stages of grief."

"I'm not in any stage. I've accepted things as they are."

"Is that why you just killed a 2 by 4?"

"That's different."

"Is it?" Derek took off his jacket and tossed it aside.

"What are you doing?"

"I think if you wanna take out your anger, might as well let go on the full moon."

Cassidy's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he shifted. "You're serious."

"It'll give me a chance to see what kind of fighter you are, while we're at it."

"Okaaayyy."

Cassidy shifted, deciding to go with it. The two alphas exchanged roars before fighting.


	3. Ice Pick

Cassidy awoke with a start, sitting up and groaning at the pain filling her entire body.

"Hey, hey, hey." Isaac said as he rushed to her side. "You should lay back down."

"W-what happened?" Cassidy asked, her voice raspy.

"Apparently, you and Derek got into it last night."

"We what?" Flashes of the previous night came to her mind; all the roars, swipes and kicks. At least it explained enough. "Never mind...I remember."

Cassidy moved to sit along the side of her bed.

"You should lay back down."

"It's okay. I feel myself healing already. I'll be good to go in 15 minutes."

"What happened last night between you two?" Isaac asked as he sat down next to her.

"It was nothing. I was dealing with some stuff and he thought it would be the best time to test my-abilities." She shrugged. Isaac nodded, sort of understanding what she was saying. "Where is he anyway?"

"He said he found someone else. Went to go see her. If it helps, he was limping when he left."

Cassidy couldn't help the slight laugh that escaped her.

"It does. Thank you. Help me up?"

"Uh, you sure you're ready?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

It was once she stood up she realized that she was in completely different clothes from the previous night. When did that happen?

"Hey, um...weird question." Cassidy started. "Who changed my clothes?"

"I-I think Derek. He was with you all night. I think he felt bad."

"Answers my question on who won the fight." She mumbled. "I'm gonna kick his ass for changing my clothes...hold on." They stopped and Cassidy looked down her shirt. "At least it's the same from yesterday."

Isaac carefully helped Cassidy outside of her room and down a shorter set of stairs than the ones at the entrance.

"Anyway, how are you today, Isaac?" Cassidy asked him as they reached the platform.

"I'm alright." Isaac replied as he let her arm go so she could move around on her own. "Tired."

"Thank you." She referred to his help before adding on, "First full moon will do that to you. It gets easier with time, I promise."

Isaac offered her a small smile and a nod. Before he could say anything further, the door to the entrance opened, Derek walked through with a blonde teenager wearing a hospital gown, whom Isaac recognized as Erica Reyes. She was known as the girl who would get seizures and someone was horrible enough to take a video and post it online once.

"Who's this?" Cassidy asked Derek as they descended the stairs.

"This is Erica. Our new beta." Derek introduced. "Erica, this is Cassidy. She's the other alpha I told you about."

"Hi." Erica replied meekly, nervous but kind smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you, Erica." Cassidy walked over to the blonde. "It's nice to have you. I was thinking of doing some shopping. I need some new clothes. Would you like to go with me?"

"Sure."

Cassidy offered Erica a comforting smile before turning to Derek.

"We're gonna go out for a bit." She told Derek. "I also have some words for you changing my clothes while I was unconscious."

Derek nodded, he understood. But he also didn't want her to wake up uncomfortable after the previous night. He knew she would be in a lot of pain.

"Understood." Derek told her.

"Come on. Let's both change so we can go." Cassidy turned back to Erica and led the way to her 'room'. Just as they got to her door, Cassidy got another flash of the fight from the previous night. "Derek, did you bite me on the arm?"

Derek smirked and turned to walk away.

"How else was I gonna get out of that choke hold?" He called out behind him.

Cassidy couldn't help but smile as she watched him walk away.

* * *

The next day, Cassidy officially started school at Beacon Hills High despite the fact that her first day was technically was supposed to be yesterday. Not only that, it was the day Derek and Cassidy chose for Erica to make her debut as the new version of herself as she healed from her bite.

Cassidy walked into her homeroom class first thing in the morning and it immediately caught the eyes of Scott and Stiles. She paused for a moment, surprised to see the two best friends before giving the note from the front office to her teacher. The teacher motioned for her to take the empty seat behind Stiles, who of course was seated next to Scott. She walked over to her seat and sat down, Scott and Stiles immediately turned around to face her.

"What are you doing here?" Stiles asked.

"Going to school." Cassidy replied with a shrug.

"Aren't you like, too old for that?"

"How old do you think I am?"

"I-I-I don't know." Stiles didn't want to offend her. He just assumed she was at least the same age as Derek...come on, she was an alpha.

"I just turned 17. I'm a junior." She explained.

"Everything okay with Isaac?" Scott asked, lowering his voice.

"He's fine. Safe."

"That's vague." Stiles added.

"I don't know what else you want me to say."

"You need to talk to Derek." Scott continued. "Tell him to stop turning people."

"You know if they're willing, there isn't much of an issue." Cassidy told him. "It's not like he's keeping secrets from who he turns. They know everything."

"It doesn't matter, Cassidy." Scott's voice raised, earning some looks from his classmates. He looked around and lowered his voice. "It isn't fair to put anyone in the situation we're in."

"Scott, I hear you. I really do. But I can't make Derek do anything. It was their choice and they said yes. I-" Cassidy was cut off.

"Wait, "they"? Who else did he turn?"

Crap. She let the cat out of the bag early...well, kinda. But before she could say anything, the bell rang and the teacher began to speak.

* * *

As luck would have it, Cassidy managed to avoid both Scott and Stiles as the day went on. That was until lunch time when Erica reemerged looking very different than the last time everyone saw her. She strode through the cafeteria with confidence, her blonde hair done in curls with leopard print heels, wearing a short black skirt, a white shirt and a leather jacket.

Cassidy couldn't help but smile as she saw a big difference already in the previously insecure teenager. The bite was already working its magic.

She watched as Erica grabbed an apple from a kid and took a bite from it, not once messing up her red lipstick. As she left the cafeteria, she took one look back. Almost immediately Scott and Stiles followed her so Cassidy took the time to go to her locker and get ready for the next period in a few minutes.

At least Derek's plan worked...it was to get Scott's attention.

"Erica?" Scott asked angrily as he stood next to Cassidy's locker.

"Erica." Cassidy confirmed as she took a book out of her locker.

"Why her?"

"She wanted the bite." Cassidy closed her locker. "If it helps, I didn't know about it until it was over."

"It doesn't. Would knowing have changed anything?"

"Probably not." Scott scoffed at her. "Look, I know you don't like it but this is what needs to be done. She knows the risks. We need all of us right now because you were in the woods that night. We're being hunted and murdered because some crazy old man wants to blame all of us werewolves because one, who is already dead by the way, killed his psychopath daughter."

"Who's next?"

"You really think that I'm gonna tell you that?" She asked him. "Come on, Scott. I'm not gonna possibly jeopardize my life because you want to play hero. This is our reality. I don't like it either and if I had a choice, I wouldn't let anyone be turned. But I personally, like living my life. Maybe it's selfish but I'm not ready to let your girlfriend's family kill me and other innocent werewolves. If you were smart, you would know that just because you're secretly dating an Argent doesn't make you safe either and you would join us until there's another way."

"Sounds like you don't want another way." Scott crossed his arms.

"I do. I don't want to fight. But I will if it means surviving. If we were dealing with your girlfriend, things would be different. She seems like a nice girl. But we're not dealing with her."

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch period. Student began to fill the hallways, immediately putting an end to Scott and Cassidy's conversation.

* * *

"How'd it go?" Derek asked Cassidy as she got back from school.

"Fine. What you expected." Cassidy said, a slight gloominess in her tone, as she walked down the stairs.

"Does he know who our next member is?"

"Not yet. I'm sure he'll figure it out tomorrow when your next plan to keep his attention happens."

Derek caught on to her change in attitude from this morning. This morning, she was doing well, she seemed happy but now...it's almost a complete 180. He looked over to Isaac and Erica, who were nearby, before motioning for Cassidy to follow him. With a small sigh, she followed him to the train car.

"What's wrong?" Derek asked her.

"It's nothing." Cassidy replied, sitting down and running a hand through her hair.

"Doesn't sound or look like nothing."

Cassidy sighed once more, pausing as she gathered her thoughts.

"It's just...first of all, I was a jerk to Scott earlier and I feel bad about that. But, he really thinks he can fix things."

"Cass, he'll say anything to get-"

"He didn't say it. It was just in the way he's been since he and I met. He's not like us." Cassidy looked up at Derek. "I mean that in the best way possible. He's a good person."

"It'll get him killed."

"Will it? Because maybe he might actually be the only one of us who can get us through this. Us changing more people? It's only making things worse for us in their eyes."

"Look, Cassidy." Derek squatted down in front of her. "We need as many of us as possible. As many as we can teach at a time. Because there is no changing or reasoning with someone like Gerard Argent. We have to do this to keep us safe. All of us. Even Scott. He'll see that soon enough."

Cassidy looked Derek in his eyes. She wanted to believe him but she also believed in Scott's way. She was caught in between Scott and Derek's methods. All Cassidy wanted was for the Argents to stop murdering innocent werewolves.

"Maybe you shouldn't go with us tomorrow night." Derek told her, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"It's fine." Cassidy spoke up immediately. "I'm fine. I'm just having a weird day. I'll be better tomorrow."

Although Derek wasn't sure about that, he nodded and let it go. Was he already losing her? How much longer until he would lose the rest of his pack? He had to find a way to keep her faith in him. As long as he had her, he knew the rest of his pack would follow.

* * *

"Why Boyd?" Scott asked as he once again, found Cassidy at her locker during lunch time the next day.

"Hello to you too, Scott." Cassidy sighed, closing her locker.

"You and Derek need to stay away from Boyd."

"I'm seriously not in the mood today, Scott." She faced him, running a hand through her hair. "Okay, you got us. Boyd is next in line to be turned."

"Did you bite him yet?"

"_I_ didn't."

"Leave him alone."

"I'm not about to have the same argument with you two days in a row. Rest assured, I won't be biting or turning anyone. Isaac and Erica are not my betas."

"You have to stop Derek."

"Again, I am not gonna repeat this argument."

Cassidy turned to walk away.

"When they end up dead, can you live with yourself?" Scott called out after her, stopping her in her tracks. "Because you know that's what will happen if you and Derek don't stop what you're doing."

"You're not the only one who can protect people, Scott." Cassidy told him before the bell rang and continued on her way to her next class.

That thought had gone through Cassidy's mind. But she also knew she could protect them. Right?

* * *

Cassidy listened as Derek went over what tonight's plan was once Scott came into the picture. Isaac and Erica listened as he explained that it would also be a way to see how some of his battle training was coming along.

"Cassidy. You listening?" Derek asked irritably.

"Mm hmm." She answered, her mind still turning the words Scott spoke in her head.

"Then maybe you can share what I just talked about." Derek waited as Cassidy came up with nothing. "Maybe if you were paying more attention to this instead of your crush on Scott, you would know."

Isaac and Erica looked over to Cassidy in surprise.

"Wait, wait, whoa. I don't have a crush on Scott."

"You sure about that?"

"Just get back to the plan." She said through gritted teeth.

* * *

Derek's mind drifted as he drove the pack to the ice rink. This whole thing with Scott...her seeming to lose faith in Derek...it bothered him. It hurt him more than he cared to admit. To be honest, it made him begin to question his feelings for his fellow alpha. Why would this hurt so much? Maybe because deep down he had feelings for her that had snuck up on him.

And when he's hurt, he tends to lash out at times. Blaming a crush was just easy.

Derek seemed to snap back into the present when they got to the ice while Scott was in the middle of conversation with Boyd as Boyd sat on the zamboni.

"I just wanna not eat lunch alone every day." Boyd told Scott.

"If you're looking for friends, you can do a lot better than Derek." Scott said.

"That really hurts, Scott. I mean, if you're going to review me, at least take a consensus." Derek said, catching Scott by surprise. "Erica, how's life been for you since we met?"

"Hmm. In a word? Transformative." Erica replied, letting out a growl as she bared her fangs.

"Isaac?"

"Well, I'm a little bummed about being a fugitive, but other than that, I'm great." Isaac answered more aloof than Erica.

It was in that moment that Cassidy realized that Isaac had changed too. He wasn't jumpy and the confidence oozed out of him as much as it did Erica. Only difference was he wasn't trying to be seductive as she was.

"Dare I ask you, Cassidy?"

"Honestly, it's been better since we met." Cassidy gave her reply. She wasn't gonna lie about it. She did find things better with Derek. Before this pack, things were a lot different for her.

Derek seemed impressed with that answer as Scott watched her for a moment. There just seemed to be something behind her words...was she just as lonely as Boyd seemed to be?

"Okay, hold on. This isn't exactly a fair fight." Scott told Derek, snapping back into reality.

"Then go home, Scott." Derek shrugged, smug smile on his face. He looked back at Isaac and Erica who took their cue and made their move.

Scott shifted and punched the ground, cracking the ice.

"I meant fair for them."

Scott let out a loud roar. Derek and Cassidy watched as Scott fought off both Isaac and Erica, almost with ease. Boyd looked over to the alphas in worry because it wasn't long before they both lost their fight against the lone beta. Both Derek and Cassidy were impressed with his fighting abilities.

"Don't you get it? He's not doing this for you. He's just adding to his own power, okay? It's all about him. He makes you feel like he's giving you some kind of gift when all he's done is turn you into a bunch of guard dogs!" Scott yelled at Isaac and Erica, sliding them across the ice to Derek's feet.

"It's true. It is about power." Derek admitted.

Cassidy checked on Isaac and Erica as Boyd watched in awe when Derek shifted and fought Scott. He was impressed to see Scott McCall, a beta, hold his own against the alpha werewolf Derek. Unfortunately, Derek won this fight.

"Derek, you made your point." Cassidy called out as Derek kept his foot on Scott's throat.

Considering that Cassidy just said it to remind him and not out of arguments sake, Derek let up. He stared down at Scott for a moment before looking to Boyd as he walked away. Scott watched helplessly as Boyd got off the zamboni, going to follow Derek, Cassidy and the pack.

"Don't. You don't wanna be like them." Scott tried once more to reason with Boyd.

"You're right." Boyd replied, showing Scott the bite he already received. "I wanna be like you."

* * *

"Hey." Derek greeted Cassidy after lightly knocking on her open door.

"Hey." Cassidy replied, looking up from her homework.

"I know tonight wasn't easy on you. But I just wanted to say thank you. You had my back when it mattered and I appreciate that."

"Yeah, of course. We're a pack, right?"

"It's not just that." Derek sat down next to her. "I know I was a dick earlier. I was out of line and I'm sorry."

"I should kick your ass for that." She joked, smiling lightly. "We're good. But I thought a lot about what you said yesterday. And you're right. There's no reasoning with the Argents and we're gonna do what we have to so we can stay safe. I hate that that's our reality but it is."

"I'm sorry that it's where we're at. If I could change things, I would. Then maybe we wouldn't have to keep preparing these guys for battle almost all the time. And we could just be."

"Yeah. Maybe one day."

"Maybe."

He lightly smiled at the hopeful look in her eyes. They held each other's gaze for a moment when she noticed Derek's moving between her eyes and her lips. Just as she was about to lean in, someone cleared their throat. Both alphas looked over to Erica at the doorway as she held up her book and notebook.

"Sorry to interrupt." Erica said, sounding anything but sorry. "But Cassidy has a test to help me prep for."

"I guess I'll let you get to it then." Derek got up and walked to the door. He glanced back at Cassidy once more before he left.

"What was that all about?" Erica asked with a smile, full of interest.

"Nothing."

"That didn't look like nothing to me."

"So, Biology…" Cassidy changed the subject.


	4. Abomination

_**A/N:** Thank you for the follows and favorites! I truly hope you have been enjoying yourself so far!_

* * *

New day means new lesson. In this case it was a fighting lesson.

Today, Derek set up a couple of obstacles in the way so that his betas could get across them before engaging him in a fight. Since Boyd was still healing from his bite, it was Isaac and Erica's day.

Boyd watched from the stairs, sitting on the steps with a smile as he watched Isaac make his way through the obstacles before being knocked down immediately by Derek.

"Again." Derek told Isaac.

Isaac got back up to redo the mini course only to get the same outcome. Over. And over. And over again. Only this last time, Erica jumped from the top of the train car in an effort to surprise him. Derek heard her coming because he dodged her so she fell to the ground next to Isaac. Derek looked down at his betas with disappointment, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Does anyone wanna try not being completely predictable?" Derek said, irritability lacing his tone.

Accepting his challenge, Erica decided to be unpredictable and jumped on Derek, wrapping her legs around him. She kissed him, letting out a small moan as he kissed her back. Cassidy felt a pang of jealousy hit her when that happened. But almost as fast as it happened, Derek got her off him, sending her back to the ground.

"That's the last time you do that." Derek told her, wiping his mouth before briefly looking to Cassidy.

"Why? Because I'm a beta?" Erica pouted.

"No-" Both Derek and Cassidy said in unison.

"You're underage! He's almost 23!" Cassidy scolded her. She was a fine one to talk. She's 17 and almost kissed Derek the previous night. Derek lightly nodded in agreement as he rolled his eyes.

"Because I have someone else in mind for you." Derek said after glaring briefly at Cassidy for interrupting him.

"Are we done? I got about a hundred bones that need a few hours to heal." Isaac interrupted, wiping the dirt off his hands.

Derek looked down at Isaac with a fake look of concern. Cassidy knew this wasn't gonna end well. She watched as he squatted down and motioned for his arm.

"Here?" Derek asked before he immediately broke Isaac's arm causing Boyd, Erica and Cassidy to flinch. "A hundred and one. You think I'm teaching you how to fight? Huh? Look at me!" Isaac looked at Derek pain all over his face as Erica and Boyd watched in fear. "I'm teaching you how to survive!"

Derek let go of Isaac's arm and stood upright. Isaac sat back up, holding his arm.

"If they wanted us dead why aren't they coming for us now? What are they waiting for?"

"I don't know. But they're planning something. And you, especially, know that's not our only problem. Whatever that thing is that killed Isaac's father, I think it killed someone else last night. Until Cassidy and I find out what it is, you all need to learn everything that we know. As fast as we can teach you."

Derek went onto the train car leaving Cassidy with the betas. Cassidy sighed and knelt down next to Isaac.

"You mind if I check that?" Cassidy asked Isaac.

"You're not gonna break it more, are you?" Isaac replied, pain etching his face.

"No." She offered him a comforting smile. Isaac held out his arm allowing her to feel it out. Biting her bottom lip, she looked back up at him. "I'm gonna have to reset it. It's gonna hurt."

"Do it." Isaac sighed and grit his teeth, preparing himself for the pain.

"On three. Ready? One-" Cassidy counted before quickly resetting his arm back to place as Isaac let out a cry of pain. "Sorry." Cassidy stood upright and helped Isaac to his feet as Boyd had already helped Erica to hers. "You guys go ahead and take a break. Rest up and I'll take over in about an hour, okay?"

Cassidy watched as the three betas headed to their 'rooms'. With a sigh, she walked into the train car where Derek was sitting, deep in thought.

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh?" Cassidy asked him calmly as she walked over to him.

"They're not taking it seriously. They don't get this is a matter of life and death." Derek vented.

"They understand." She sat down next to him. "You were a bit too hard on them right now. They all learn at their own paces and yeah, that sucks. But we have to do our best and getting angry all the time won't help us or make them learn faster."

Part of Derek hated how calm she was because she was talking some sense. That part wanted her to yell at him for being the way he was. Hell, even if it were for about kissing Erica back.

"Listen, about that thing with Erica-"

"Don't worry about it. Last night was a heat of the moment thing, right? It's not like anything happened. "She looked down at her hands. "Plus, what I said about Erica, you know? I'm 17...it wouldn't be right for us to-"

"Yeah." Derek agreed, nodding as he followed suit in looking down at his hands.

"Anyway we should be focusing on the Argents and this thing killing people right now."

"Speaking of. I think I know where to start."

* * *

Later that night, Erica and Boyd's jobs were to go to the lacrosse game for a while until Derek can question Stiles about what happened at the car garage he was at when the monster struck. Isaac had to remain out of sight so Cassidy decided to stay with him at the station. She was technically on standby in case Derek needed her help.

So Isaac and Cassidy decided to hang out and watch a movie on Cassidy's laptop. They decided to go full on movie theater with popcorn and soda in the dark to see it better. The two teenagers decided to watch 'Dumb and Dumber' as their second movie of the night.

Laughter filled the room as Lloyd Christmas fantasized about fighting a bunch of guys for the heart of his love interest.

"Could you ever see yourself having as elaborate of a fantasy as this?" Cassidy asked Isaac.

"I mean, kinda but I don't think it would be this crazy." Isaac replied with a chuckle.

Cassidy took some popcorn from the bowl and ate it as she glanced over secretly at Isaac. It was nice to see him comfortable, smiling and without a care in the world at the moment. He had a really nice smile and she would like to see it more often.

"You still staring?" Isaac looked over at her, a cocky smirk on his face.

Cassidy coughed, choking on a popcorn kernel in surprise. She took a drink from her soda to stop it.

"I wasn't staring." She denied, watching the movie.

"Mm hmm. That's why I caught you watching me out of the corner of your eye."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered. Really."

Cassidy made eye contact with Isaac...huge mistake because she found herself lost in his blue eyes. She would be lying if she said she didn't find him endearing from the moment they met. Maybe this was a sign that she could and should spend more time with him.

"Cassidy!" Erica's voice called out from the distance.

Cassidy got up and went to where she heard Erica's voice was coming from, Isaac following her.

"The t-thing, it-it's got Stiles and Derek trapped at the school." Erica told her as soon as she laid eyes on the alpha, Boyd helping her stand upright.

"Where at the school?" Cassidy asked her.

"The pool. They're in the water."

"Okay. Guys? Will you take care of that?" Cassidy motioned at the blood on the side of Erica's temple.

"Yeah. I guess we'll have to discuss this more some other time then, huh?" Isaac asked Cassidy as she grabbed her shoes and slipped them on.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She smiled at him before she left.

* * *

Cassidy heard the shriek of the creature and followed the sound. It was then she ran into Scott coming out of the principal's office, startling both teenagers.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked Cassidy.

"I'm here for Derek and Stiles, what are you doing here?" Cassidy shot back.

"What's going on with Stiles?"

"They're trapped in the pool. We have to help them."

The two werewolves rushed to the pool next to the gym, peeking inside to see the creature walking around the pool, waiting for them to swim to the edge.

"What's the plan?" Cassidy whispered to Scott.

"One of us can distract the creature while the other gets Stiles and Derek out of the pool."

"Alright. Here goes nothing."

Both teenagers shifted and cautiously walked through the door leading to the pool. The creature was hiding it seemed as Stiles swam to get him and Derek to the diving board. Only when they made it, they both began to sink.

Seeing as the creature wasn't around, both Scott and Cassidy pulled Stiles and Derek out of the pool.

"Cass." Scott called as the creature showed itself, slinking out of its hiding place.

Both Scott and Cassidy let out a roar to the creature, who advanced on them quickly. The creature tackled Scott off the diving board but the wolf recovered quickly. Scott and Cassidy stared down the creature, waiting to see if it would make a move. Cassidy went to attack it first but just as the creature flipped her over it, its tail grabbed Scott's ankle, sending him crashing into a mirror and right next to Cassidy on the ground.

Both Scott and Cassidy got up and fast as they could when Scott saw no other choice but to grab a shard of glass he crashed into to use as a weapon. The creature stood there for a moment, Scott noticing the creature seeing its reflection in the glass he held. The creature advanced forward, bypassing Scott and climbed out of the building through the glass roof.

"What the hell was that?" Cassidy asked Scott as they looked over to Stiles and Derek, who watched on, Derek holding himself up on the diving board.

"I don't know." Scott answered as he and Cassidy shifted back.

* * *

"You okay?" Cassidy asked Derek quietly a few feet away from Scott and Stiles, who were on a laptop.

"Yeah. I'm getting feeling back." Derek replied as he flexed his fingers. "Erica-"

"She got out. She and Boyd are back at the safe house with Isaac."

"I know what it is."

"What is it?"

"Is that even a language?" Stiles asked irritably as he stared at the laptop, interrupting them.

"How are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?" Scott asked, sharing the same sentiment as Stiles.

"It's called a kanima." Derek said as he and Cassidy walked over to them.

"You knew the whole time." Stiles guessed irritably.

"No. Only when it was confused by its own reflection."

"It doesn't know what it is." Scott stated his thoughts aloud.

"Or who."

"What else do you know?" Stiles took his turn.

"Just stories. Rumors."

"But it's like us?" Scott tried to make sense of it.

"A shape shifter, yes, but it's-it's not right. It's like a-"

"An abomination." Stiles finished for Derek.

Derek nodded at Stiles before he and Cassidy turned to leave.

"Derek?" Scott called out to them, stopping them. "We need to work together on this. Maybe even tell the Argents."

"You trust them?" Derek hissed.

"Nobody trusts anyone! That's the problem. While we're here, arguing about who's on what side, there's something scarier, stronger and faster than any of us, and it's killing people and we still don't even know anything about it!"

"I know one thing, when I find it? I'm gonna kill it."

Derek walked away from the teenagers. Cassidy looked over to Scott and Stiles, sheepishly.

"About this kanima, I agree but I don't know if we could trust the Argents." Cassidy told them. "Maybe your girlfriend but the rest? I don't think so." Cassidy looked in the direction Derek walked off. She pulled out her phone and gave it to Scott. "Maybe we _can_ work together on this. Just don't expect me or Derek to have anything to do with the Argents. I can't stop you if that's what you choose. If we learn anything, I'll call you."

Scott decided to take that as it was because he put his phone number into Cassidy's phone. He gave his phone to Cassidy so she could do the same.

"If anything, right now, we have to trust each other on this one." Cassidy added. "At least, I'm willing to. Take care guys. See you tomorrow."

Cassidy gave Scott his phone back and walked in the direction Derek went. She found him waiting for her, leaning against his car.

"You know we shouldn't trust the Argents." Derek told her.

"I know. But I think we should trust Scott." Cassidy said, stopping in front of her fellow alpha. "If he wants to deal with the Argents, fine, but he knows I'm only willing to work with him."

"What about me?"

"Of course."

"And if I ask you to keep something from Scott?"

"I will. We have to trust each other, right? It's the only way you and I are gonna make this pack leaders thing work. But if I think it'll be beneficial to the whole 'investigation' thing about the kanima, I will make sure you know how I feel about keeping it from him."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Derek offered her a nod as he opened the passenger door of his car for Cassidy. "I have an idea of where to start."

Cassidy waited until Derek got to his side of the car and got in before she asked her next question, "Where?"

"Remember that bite I told you I gave before Isaac?"

"Yeah? That Jackson kid, right?"

"Yup. We start with him. And until we're sure it's him, don't tell Scott."

"And how exactly do you plan to be sure?"

"Trust me. I got a plan already."


	5. Venomous

The next day at school, Cassidy took it upon herself to keep an eye on Jackson Whittemore. Could Derek be right and Jackson possibly be the kanima? Another suspect was Lydia Martin. Derek mentioned that his now deceased uncle had bitten her which put her high up on the suspect list.

Based on what she's seen, Jackson seems like a total douche. Cassidy didn't understand how a guy like that could have a girlfriend...well, minus the looks. She definitely understood the looks part of it all.

As Cassidy drove herself back 'home', she came up with the idea to help out Isaac. Assuming it's not Jackson, Isaac would need to be back in school and allowed around town in general. His fugitive status isn't doing much favors for the pack in the long run. Once Jackson's test was done tonight and he was able to prove he wasn't the kanima, there may be a way to get him to take back his statements to the police and officially clear Isaac of anything to do with his dad's death.

But first, he had to be tested. It would be Erica and Boyd's job to get him and bring him back to the station. Easy enough for the two betas, right? Of course. They brought him back within 10 minutes of leaving. In all honesty, Cassidy expected a lot longer depending on how long it would take him to get him alone.

Boyd headed down the stairs behind Erica who had a hold of Jackson. Isaac and Cassidy leaned against a pillar while Derek was sitting, waiting for his original first beta to be brought in. As they got closer to Derek, Isaac grabbed the other side of Jackson to keep him from running.

"What happened to you on the night of the full moon?" Derek asked Jackson as he stared down at a shard of glass in his hands.

"What? Nothing. Nothing happened." Jackson replied defiantly.

"You're lying."

Cassidy was still in her spot, deciding to listen to his heartbeat for a lie...to her surprise, it was steady. He seemed to be telling the truth.

"Derek…" Cassidy started.

"No, wait. No, wait…" Jackson saw Derek beginning to put on some gloves. "I can-I can prove it. I taped myself."

Derek gave a small smile as Isaac chuckled. Why would he tape himself?

"You taped yourself?" Isaac asked, wondering if he was serious.

"Yes. It was the full moon. And maybe while you were curled in the corner having an existential crisis about turning into a monster, I was preparing for the so called gift your big, bad alpha promised me and what did I get? Nothing. You want proof? Let me get the video."

Cassidy was confused. It was almost unheard of for someone to get bit and should they survive the bite, that they didn't change. Unless it was possible he was a supernatural creature already? And maybe he didn't know it before he got the bit...then again, this could be a sign that he was the kanima.

"No. No, I have a better idea." Derek told him, showing him the mirror shard from the previous night.

"What is that?"

Isaac and Erica forced Jackson to his knees as Derek got up. He walked over to Jackson when Isaac held open Jackson's mouth.

"You know, Jackson, you've always been kind of a snake. And everyone knows a snake can't be poisoned by its own venom."

Derek put a drop of the kanima's paralysis venom, for lack of a better term from all of them, and waited to see what happened. Isaac and Erica let him go and Jackson fell to his side. It didn't take long for the paralytic to take effect. So it wasn't Jackson. Derek sighed and walked back over to Jackson, squatting down to get closer to him.

"You're still a snake, Jackson, just not the one we're looking for."

Standing up right, Derek walked onto the train car. Isaac went over to Jackson, taking a seat on the ground in front of him.

"You're still gonna have to do one more thing for us. Well, actually, for me."

Cassidy watched as Isaac told Jackson what he had to do before getting up and walking away. As much as Cassidy didn't like Jackson, she couldn't leave him like that. She went over to him and sat him up, pulling him to a pillar and resting him against it.

"You should get feeling back in a while. It's not permanent." Cassidy assured him before leaving him.

Isaac watched her curiously. Why would she do something nice for Jackson? Jackson was a tool and didn't deserve her kindness of any form, well, in Isaac's eyes. What surprised him even more was when Cassidy came back from her 'room' with a pillow and her school stuff. After setting her school stuff down on the makeshift table, she put the pillow behind Jackson's head in an effort to help him be comfortable while he waited for the paralytic to wear off.

Cassidy then sat down at the table and began to do the rest of her homework. She knew Erica might try to mess around with him for fun and she figured Erica would leave him alone with her around. To be honest, Erica has been really driving Cassidy up the wall the past 18 hours because of her attitude. Well, Erica calls it confidence but Cassidy calls it arrogance. Where it came from, she had no idea because the blonde bombshell was fine...until 18 hours ago.

* * *

"Look, all I'm saying is there has to be a better way of going about testing Lydia and at school isn't it." Cassidy argued with Derek.

"There's nowhere else for us to have a clear shot at her. School is the only place to get to her without any protection from Scott." Derek shot back.

"And how is possibly paralyzing her gonna help our relationship with Scott? Spoiler alert, it doesn't!"

"Lydia is the kanima. She's the only other person that was bitten and not turned."

"I could still say the same about Jackson! Don't you think it's suspicious that you bit him and he didn't wolf out on the full moon? Just because this whole 'snake can't be poisoned by its own venom' thing is your plan doesn't mean it's gonna work."

"You were on board with it when it happened to Jackson!"

"And then nothing happened but yet, he's still supposedly not a werewolf! Why don't you find that weird?"

"It also doesn't mean we don't test Lydia!"

Isaac, Erica and Boyd have been watching the two alphas argue about this plan almost all morning.

"Say you do test her at school and she gets paralyzed. Don't you think maybe it'll catch the attention of the principal who, should I remind you, is Gerard freaking Argent? So okay, let's catch his attention and possibly throw him on the scent of your betas now because that's what we need at the moment." She quipped sarcastically.

"We're doing this whether you like it or not, you got that? I'm done arguing." Derek told her, trying to end the conversation.

Cassidy scoffed and rolled her eyes, grabbing her backpack and her car keys.

"If anyone wants a ride, we're leaving now." She said to the betas as she stormed off.

After hearing from the betas that it's such a good plan and that it'll work because they won't get caught, Cassidy stormed into homeroom, taking the seat next to Stiles and behind Isaac, who had beat her there. Her mood obviously hadn't improved in the few minutes she had alone at her locker. Scott and Stiles looked over at Cassidy, questions in their gazes about Isaac. She shook her head with a sigh, running a hand through her hair.

* * *

Homeroom was quiet the whole time, Isaac being one of the first to leave after the bell rang. Cassidy was dreading this day and took her time getting the homework she didn't get to finish the night before gathered. She put it in her backpack and went to her locker to switch out her books for the next period.

She glanced over to see Jackson staring off into the distance as Danny stood in front of him. Cassidy noticed Erica and Isaac behind him talking so she tuned in her hearing to what they were saying.

"-during chemistry?" Erica was saying.

"Yeah and if it's Lydia, I'm gonna kill that bitch alright?" Isaac replied.

"We have to test her first."

"Trust me, she's the kanima."

Cassidy then noticed Jackson cover his ears when the bell rang. Was his hearing sensitive? That had to mean Jackson may have overheard them talking. Angrily, Cassidy slammed her locker shut and walked over to Isaac and Erica as everyone was heading to class.

"You two need to keep your mouths shut." Cassidy told them as she approached them.

"What are you talking about?" Erica asked, patronizing smile plastered on her face.

"You talking about Derek's plan where people can hear you? You know Jackson probably heard you right and he's gonna tell Scott."

"What does it even matter? You want nothing to do with it."

"It only matters because you get caught, I'm getting dragged along with you because we're a pack."

Isaac could clearly tell Cassidy was still mad from earlier so he chose to say nothing in an effort to keep her from getting upset with him.

"And how do we know you haven't already told him? I mean…" Erica put her hand on Cassidy's arm, her claws extended and beginning to dig into her skin. "You are the one who has a crush on him, right? It wouldn't surprise me if you chose him over your pack. If things don't go your way, you'll do anything to sabotage this plan."

Okay. Cassidy had enough. She grabbed the wrist of the hand Erica used to dig into Cassidy's arm and twisted her arm behind her back, slamming Erica face first into the lockers.

"Don't you ever touch me like that again." Cassidy growled into her ear. "You're getting too big for your britches and it stops now. Don't forget who I am to you. Derek may be pack leader and turned you but I am also your alpha. If you ever assume crap about me or question my integrity and dedication to this pack again, I'll rip your arm off."

"That a threat?" Erica asked in defiance.

"That's a promise. You test me again, you'll see that."

Cassidy pulled away, pushing against Erica, who turned back around, holding her wrist. Cassidy's gaze found Isaac, who didn't look her in the eye. Well, that seemed to answer the question she was about to ask.

"Get to class. Both of you are late." Cassidy commanded them before turning around and walking to her next class.

* * *

Cassidy walked over to Boyd who was standing next to the bleachers on the field. He texted her to meet him there because he had something to talk to her about. And to be honest, Boyd was the only one she wasn't super angry at. He chose not to say anything about the plan on the ride to school. He knew how she felt about it already and didn't see a point in trying to change her mind.

"Hey. What's going on?" Cassidy asked as she approached Boyd.

"I know you didn't like the plan but it worked. Nothing happened to Lydia and the kanima venom." Boyd told her, putting his hands in his pockets.

Cassidy paused, surprised at what Boyd said to her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Derek saw it himself. It's her."

Cassidy sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Look, I still have a feeling it's not her. You can't kill her."

"Why not?"

"First off, Gerard Argent ring a bell?"

"I want to talk to Derek." A voice said from behind Cassidy.

Cassidy turned to see Scott walking up to her and Boyd.

"Talk to me." Boyd replied.

"I don't want to fight."

"Good, cause I'm twice the size of you."

Cassidy shook her head. Even Boyd was getting a little arrogant.

"True. Really, really true. But wanna know what I think? I'm twice as fast."

Boyd swung at Scott when he made a move but Scott had already tackled him to the ground. Cassidy hoped that would knock him down a peg as the two boys got up.

"She failed the test." Derek said, startling Scott and even Cassidy, who was paying more attention to the scuffle.

"Yeah, which doesn't prove anything. Lydia's different." Scott defended Lydia.

"I know, at night she turns into a homicidal walking snake."

"I'm not going to let you kill her."

"Who said I was gonna do it?" Derek asked as he looked at Boyd and Cassidy first.

Scott looked at the school, the reality dawning on him...Isaac and Erica. Before he could make a run for it, Boyd clotheslined him to the ground.

"Once again, don't do it here." Cassidy murmured at Derek.

"I don't know why you think you have to protect everyone now, Scott, but even so, Lydia has killed people and she's gonna do it again and next time it's gonna be one of us." Derek continued to Scott, ignoring Cassidy.

"What if you're wrong?" Scott asked as he recovered from the hit.

"She was bitten by an alpha. It's her."

"You saw that thing up close. You know it's not like us."

"But it is. We're all shapeshifters. You don't know what you're dealing with. It happens rarely and it happens for a reason."

"What reason?"

"Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person that you are." Derek offered Scott a hand to help him up, which he takes. "Even Stiles calls her cold blooded."

"Well what if she's immune? What if she's got something inside of her that makes her immune to the bite, which is why she didn't get paralyzed?"

"No one's immune! I've never seen it or heard of it. It's n-it's never happened."

"What about Jackson?"

Cassidy motioned incredulously at Scott.

"Oh thank god I'm not the only one." Cassidy practically cheered. "Can we revisit that idea please?"

"That's why you tested him, isn't it? Because you gave him what he wanted, didn't you?" Scott asked Derek.

"Scott-" Derek started.

"Peter said the bite either kills you or turns you. You were probably hoping that he would die. But nothing happened, right? And you have no idea why, do you?"

"No."

"Well I have a theory. Lydia's immune and somehow she passed it on to Jackson. You know I'm right."

"No!"

"You cannot do this!"

"Look I can't let her live! You should have known that!"

"I was hoping I would convince you, but then...I wasn't counting on it."

Derek, Boyd and even Cassidy were confused by that statement as Scott walked away.

"He already got her out." Derek said after a moment to Boyd and Cassidy, motioning for them to follow him.

"You can't kill her yet, Derek." Cassidy called out after him.

"I'm not doing this again."

"I'm done arguing too, just please hear me out." Cassidy practically begged, jogging in front of him to stop him. "What if it _is _Jackson? I mean, we don't know what happened to Lydia on the full moon but we know for a fact that Jackson didn't turn. We shouldn't ignore that."

"But we also can't ignore the venom did nothing to her."

"But what if Scott's theory is right?"

"Cassidy...we just shouldn't take that chance. We can't take that chance."

Derek walked passed her with Boyd in tow.

"I know you're gonna look for her so count me out. I can't get behind this."

Derek stopped and turned to face her.

"Fine. Maybe while we're out you should take the time to rethink your choice to be in this pack."

Cassidy watched as Derek continued on. She shook her head and sighed. Honestly, she didn't want to leave the pack. But she was starting to feel like anything she said regarding pack business was being ignored. Like she didn't have as much of a say as Derek told her she would. Maybe she should leave but that would mean being an omega again. Alpha still but even then an omega. She didn't want that especially now that times were dangerous. Plus, despite earlier, she liked Erica, Isaac and Boyd. She wanted to be there for them. When they would get back for the night, she would have to voice her issues with Derek and try not to turn it into an argument.

* * *

Cassidy sat in the train car, her mind wandering while she was supposed to be working on her homework when she heard the entrance door close. With a sigh, she got up and went to go see if her pack had returned. Instead she was met with the sight of Boyd carrying Erica down the stairs, Isaac trailing behind him. She immediately went into worry mode and rushed over to them.

"What happened?" Cassidy asked.

"You should find Derek. He went to track down the kanima."

"What's wrong with Erica?"

"She's just paralyzed." Isaac asked, his hand on the back of his head. "Go. He might need your help."

Cassidy nodded and ran to get her keys before sprinting up the stairs and to her car. Using her senses, she managed to track down Derek, but also found herself driving behind Stiles. Once Stiles skidded to a stop, Cassidy maneuvered to stop beside his jeep as Scott got out because he was gonna need to back up...or risk popping his tires...but also should the kanima be on the move again.

Cassidy got out of her car and jumped the fence and ran after Scott to find Derek, who was already fighting the kanima judging by the noises she was able to hear. Cassidy skidded to a stop when she heard gunshots...hunters. She allowed Scott to continue ahead as she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Derek.

_I heard gunshots. Are you okay? Do you need help?_

To be safe, she tuned her hearing to see if she could find Derek's heartbeat. She let out a growl in frustration when she couldn't but then her phone vibrated in her hand.

_I'm ok. Pick me up?_

After getting the message telling her where he is, she picked him up. He got into the car and sat silently for a moment before he told her where his car was.

"I almost got it." Derek said after a moment.

"Almost?" Cassidy asked.

"I cut its throat but it's still alive."

Cassidy sighed and shook her head. How? Most things you cut its throat and boop. Dead. Why not the kanima?

"I'm sorry." Derek continued after another bout of silence.

"You were doing what you thought was best. Not exactly going about it in the right way but I get it. When I joined the pack you told me that you would listen to my input. I feel like that hasn't been happening much." Cassidy expressed, surprised at the sudden apology.

"I know." He relented. "I just get so stubborn sometimes and when you started to lose your patience this morning, so did I. It just made me more stubborn. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten mad but I did. I was wrong too because I could've also done things differently."

"Boyd get Erica and Isaac back alright?"

"Yeah. They're safe. Recovering."

Cassidy dropped off Derek with his car and met him back at the train station.

"Hey, just promise me from this point forward you'll truly take my ideas into consideration? And if you don't like them or something just tell me why instead of saying no? Or something. We can't keep fighting in front of them." Cassidy said, motioning to the inside as she referred to the betas inside.

"I will. And speaking of them, I heard you slammed Erica into a locker earlier."

"To be fair, her claws were digging into my arm. It hurt."

Derek smiled and shook his head.

"I thought it would take more to hurt you after our sparring session."

"See then, I was expecting pain. It's part of fighting. I wasn't expecting Erica to do what she did." She laughed.

"Come on."

Derek motioned for Cassidy to go first. He was happy that they were able to move forward. He knew he was being a bit harsh earlier when talking about her reexamining her choice. He wanted this to work and he wanted to do what he could to make sure it did. Getting mad and fighting was a sure fire way to push Cassidy away and out of the pack. He didn't want that. He enjoyed having her in the pack but also being around her. Derek was gonna make sure to make enough of a change to keep this going...whatever this would end up to be. He could only hope Cassidy would do the same.


End file.
